Manipulators

ABSTRACT

A FORGING MANIPULATOR INCLUDING A CARRIAGE AND A PEEL MOUNTED IN A FRAME WHICH IS SUSPENDED BY LINKS FROM THE CARRIAGE SO AS TO PERMIT THE FRAME AND THE PEEL TO BE DISPLACED IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE PEEL. A PISTON AND CYLINDER ASSEMBLY IS MOUNTED ON THE FRAME AND IS ARRANGED TO ACT ON ONE SIDE WALL OF THE CARRIAGE THEREBY DISPLACING THE FRAME TOWARDS A SECOND SIDE WALL OF TE CARRIAGE.

March 9, 1971 w. G. WILSON MANIPULATORS 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 6, 1969 INVENTOR 3 1. G. wusou AJMADMM lsmiliz s ATTORNEYS March 9, 1971 w. (5. ILSON MANIPULATORS 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 6, 1969 INVENTOR w, G.WH.SON

MLois ATTORNEYS Mmh 9,1971 W.G ;WILSON 3,568,497

' MANIPULATORS Filed Feb. 6, 1969 .5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS United States Patent US. Cl. 72-420 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A forging manipulator including a carriage and a peel mounted in a frame which is suspended by links from the carriage so as to permit the frame and the peel to be displaced in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the peel. A piston and cylinder assembly is mounted on the frame and is arranged to act on one side wall of the carriage thereby displacing the frame towards a second side wall of the carriage.

This invention relates to forging manipulators which comprise essentially a movable carriage supporting a peel which has jaws at one end capable of gripping a metal workpiece to be forged. It is usual to provide the peel with certain movements to enable the workpiece to be positioned between the tools of the forge. These movements include axial movement of the peel, angular rotation of the peel, and raising and lowering of the peel. It is also useful for the peel to be able to move in a direction transverse to its longitudinal axis in a substantially horizontal plane and it is an object of the present invention to provide a manipulator having a peel capable of limited movement in this direction.

According to a first aspect of the present invention there is provided a forging manipulator comprising a carriage, a peel suspended from the carriage by a plurality of links operatively coupled between the peel and the carriage in such a manner as to permit the peel to be displaced in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the peel, and means arranged to displace the peel in said transverse direction.

According to a second aspect of the present invention there is provided a forging manipulator comprising a carriage having first and second oppositely disposed side walls, a plurality of links coupled to said carriage and arranged to depend between said side :walls, a frame coupled to said links so as to be able to be displaced towards and away from said side walls, displacement means carried by said frame and a peel mounted on said frame with its longitudinal axis substantially parallel to said side walls.

According to a third aspect of the present invention there is provided a forging manipulator comprising a carriage, a peel supported on a frame which is suspended from the carriage by a plurality of links so as to be positioned between a pair of opposite side walls of the carriage, said links being secured to the carriage and frame such as to permit the frame to be displaced between said side walls in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the peel, and at least one hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly supported by the frame and adapted, when actuated, to cause a part of said assembly to engage one of the side walls and the frame to be displaced in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the peel towards the other side wall of the carriage.

The frame supporting a peel is conveniently suspended from four links each of which has spherical joints at the connections between the links and frame and between the links and the carriage. The links suspended from a pair of shafts supported on the carriage above the frame and extending across the carriage transverse to the longitudinal axis of the peel. The spherical joints at the connections between the links and the shafts and between the links and the frame enable the frame to pivot about the spherical joints at the connections between the links and the shafts.

Conveniently a pair of hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblies are provided which are arranged one at each of the forward and rear ends of the frame. Each piston and cylinder assembly conveniently comprises a cylinder secured to the under side of the frame and extending substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the peel and a double-acting piston connected to a pair of piston rods which extend one from each end of the cylinder. Each piston rod is secured to and terminated by a buffer which is positioned close to the adjacent side wall of the carriage. In order to displace the frame sideways, fluid under pressure is introduced into the cylinders of the assembly on the same side of the pistons therein. The piston of each assembly is displaced until one of the buffers of each assembly engages with the adjacent side wall of the frame and as the pistons cannot then be displaced further, the cylinders are caused to slide over the piston rods relative to the piston in a direction away from the side wall engaged by the buffers. The movement of the two cylinders displaces the frame and hence the peel in a sideways direction.

Apart from enabling the frame supporting the peel to be displaced sideways the manipulator has built-in side resilience between the frame and the side walls of the carriage which help to dissipate any energy which results from there being a side reaction from a forging squeeze on a workpiece carried by the peel.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood it will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan of a peel supported on a frame forming part of a manipulator in accordance with the present invention,

FIG. 2 is a section on the line YY of FIG. 1 with some of the detail omitted, and

FIG. 3 is a front elevation of the manipulator showing the peel displaced sideways with respect to the carriage.

Referring firstly to FIG. 3, a manipulator has a carriage 1 having a pair of spaced-apart side walls 2 and 3. The carriage is mounted on a plurality of wheels of which two are indicated by a reference numeral 4. The wheels enable the carriage to be moved in a direction parallel to its length on a track comprising a pair of rails 5. Pairs of columns 6 are mounted on the carriage at its front and rear ends. Each pair of columns 6 carry a shaft 7 extending transverse to the direction of movement of the carriage. A frame 8 is suspended from the shafts 7 by means of rigid links 9 (shown in more detail in FIG. 2) so as to be positioned between the side walls 2 and 3 of the carriage. Referring particularly to FIG. 1 the frame 8 comprises longitudinally extending members 10 secured together in spaced apart relation by means of a plurality of transverse members 11 and supporting at the front and rear ends of the frame a pair of bearing assemblies 12 and 13 which support a peel 14 which extends longitudinally of the frame 8. The peel 14 carries a pair of jaws 15 at its forward end for gripping a workpiece to be forged and means (not shown) are provided for rotating the peel about its longitudinal axis.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the frame is supported from the links 9 by spherical joints 16 which are mounted upon trunnions 17 projecting outwardly from the frame 8 to wards the side walls 2 and 3 of the carriage. Similar spherical joints are provided at the connections between the link 9 and the shafts 7 and these jOints enable the frame 8 and the peel 14 supported thereon to be pivoted about the joints on the shaft 7 so that the frame can be displaced sideways between the side walls 2 and 3 of the carriage and hence the peel 14 is displaceable transverse to its longitudinal axis in a substantially horizontal plane.

In order to produce a force capable of pivoting the frame about the spherical joints on the shafts 7 hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblies 18 and 19 are mounted on the underside of the frame at the forward and rear ends thereof respectively. Each assembly comprises a cylinder 20 rigidly mounted on the underside of the frame transverse to the longitudinal axis of the peel and having piston rods 21 projecting from each end thereof. Each piston rod is connected through a clevis and pin 22 to a buffer plate 23 which is spaced from the adjacent side wall of the carriage by a distance in the order of 1 inch. Each buffer plate is mounted on an individual stiff framework 24 which is free to move relative to the frame 8 in a direction parallel to the line of action of the piston rods 21.

Each of the hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblies 18, 19 are double-acting with piston rods 21 projecting from each end of the cylinders 20 and in order to displace the framework sideways, fluid under pressure is introduced into each of the cylinders 20 on the same side of the piston therein. The fluid causes the piston (not shown) to be displaced in the cylinder to cause one of the buffer plates 23 to engage the side wall of the carriage which is adjacent thereto. Referring again to FIG. 3, in order to displace the framework and the peel towards the side wall 3, fluid is introduced into the cylinders 20 to cause the buffer plate adjacent to wall 2 to be brought into engagement with that wall and the reaction of the fluid on the wall of the cylinders 20 causes each cylinder to slide along the piston rod 21 towards the side wall 3 of the carriage. The sideways displacement of the frame is permitted, as explained above, by the spherical joints at each end of the links 9 and the frame is displaced until it is in engagement with the side wall 3. The displacement of the frame causes the peel to be displaced sideways in a direction transverse to its longitudinal axis.

I claim:

1. A forging manipulator comprising a carriage, a peel supported on a frame which is suspended from the carriage by a plurality of links so as to be positioned between a pair of opposite side walls of the carriage, said links being secured to the carriage and frame such as to permit the frame to be displaced between said side walls in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the peel, and at least one hydraulic piston and cylinder assembly supported by the frame, and adapted, when actuated, to cause a part of said assembly to engage one of the side walls and the frame to be displaced in a direction transverse to the longitudinal axis of the peel towards the other side wall of the carriage.

2. A forging manipulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frame is suspended from four links each of which has spherical joints at the connections between the links and the frame and between the links and the carriage.

3. A forging manipulator as claimed in claim 2, wherein the links are suspended from a pair of shafts supported on the carriage above the frame and extending across the carriage transverse to the longitudinal axis of the peel.

4. A forging manipulator as claimed in claim 1, wherein a pair of hydraulic piston and cylinder assemblies are provided which are arranged one at each end of the forward and rear ends of the frame.

5. A forging manipulator as claimed in claim 4, wherein each piston and cylinder assembly comprises a cylinder secured to the underside of the frame and extending substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the peel, and a double-acting piston connected to a pair of piston rods which extend one from each end of the cylinder.

6. A forging manipulator as claimed in claim 5 wherein each piston rod is secured to and terminated by a buffer which is positioned close to the adjacent side wall of the carriage.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,126,770 3/1964 Wuppermann et al. 72-419 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner R. M. ROGERS, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 214-1 

